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This year’s Charleston Art & Antiques Forum, By George!, celebrates 300 years of Georgian art and design. The Georgian period takes its name from the four British King Georges who reigned from 1714 to 1830, and crosses the Atlantic to include the presidency of George Washington.

This year’s line-up of speakers demonstrates this geographic span. Among the speakers is Tim Knox, Director of the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, England, who will deliver the keynote address, focusing on architecture for animals, specifically the exotic aviaries and menageries that fascinated English nobility in the 18th century and had the leading architects of the time competing to design the most extravagant and whimsical structures. Also, the Forum’s long-time moderator, Tom Savage, Director of Museum Affairs, Winterthur Museum and Country Estate, returns to guide discussions of the Georgian house, its furnishings, and its gardens.

Deputy Director and Acting Director of Preservation and Education Dr. Carter C. Hudgins will give a lecture on Georgian furniture, ceramics, artwork, and archaeological artifacts, and will explain why Drayton Hall is considered one of the finest examples of Georgian architecture in the North American colonies. Entitled Rediscovering Drayton Hall in the Georgian Era, it will take place on Saturday morning, March 15th.

Drayton Hall has been named as one of the 2014 beneficiaries of the Charleston Art & Antiques Forum. A portion of the proceeds from all ticket sales will benefit Drayton Hall’s Collections Fund to help Drayton Hall acquire and conserve additional Drayton objects and artifacts to be shared with the public in exhibits, programs, and future facilities. Additional information about the 2014 Forum, its speakers and topics, is available at www.charlestonantiquesforum.org.